Lessons learned will benefit Tinwald upgrade
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Lessons learned from Walnut Ave are already being put into practice for Ashburton’s next major road works project.
The Tinwald corridor will be upgraded next year with traffic signals and an upgraded rail crossing installed at the intersection of State Highway 1, Lagmhor Rd, and Agnes St intersection, similar to the recently completed Walnut Ave upgrade.
The Walnut Ave project was criticised for taking too long, with a gap between Waka Kotahi and KiwiRail completing their parts of the project.
Fronting the Ashburton District Council, Waka Kotahi director regional relationships James Caygill said: “taking lessons learned out of the Walnut Ave project”, Waka Kotahi is working closely with KiwiRail to get all the design work done before the project goes out for tender early next year.
“We should have full design wrapped up by the end of the calendar year,” Caygill said.
“And with all things going well on [the tender] front, construction starting before the middle of next year.”
There is no estimated timeframe for completion until the project is tendered he said.
“At this stage, you should expect substantial progress by the middle of next year.”
One change has been made to the designs from the public engagement with the Melcombe St viaduct to remain open to two-way traffic, “with monitoring to maintain that works”, Caygill said.
It was proposed for the viaduct to be limited to left-out only onto SH1 he said, but concerns were raised about the impacts of the limited access “and the way that would cascade back through the level crossings or other intersections”.
The Walnut Ave project was heavily scrutinised by the council and the community over its prolonged timing but Caygill was pleased the project was completed on time.
The community will hope that with Waka Kotahi working closer with KiwiRail before construction begins in Tinwald, the project will not take the 18 months Walnut Ave did to complete.
*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
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Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
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Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
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